Soo Cafe reopens in North Raleigh

Soo Cafe, which had to vacate its original location on Hillsborough Street late last year because the building was scheduled for demolition, has found a new home in North Raleigh. Located just off Capital Boulevard in Stonybrook Shopping Center (in the space that for many years housed Fortune Palace), the new digs are much roomier.

But the Korean menu remains substantially unchanged. That includes the Korean style fried chicken that had won a cult-like following at the original location.

Asked what makes her chicken so special, owner Kyong Ko explains that she only uses fresh chicken, never frozen; and that she cooks it to order. As noted on the menu, cooking time is about 15 minutes - and it’s well worth the wait.

“We also use 28 seasonings,” she says, “but I can’t tell you what they are.”

In addition to Korean fried chicken, which comes with your choice of traditional dipping sauce (soy-garlic is most popular), the offering includes the classic bibimbap, a handful of noodle soups and ssam (lettuce wraps), and a half dozen variations on the Korean barbecue theme (including the locally hard-to-find black pork belly).

Soo Cafe (2815 Brentwood Road, Raleigh; 919-876-1969) is open for lunch Monday-Saturday, and dinner nightly (4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays). Pending approval of the license Ko has just submitted, beer and wine will be served.

Greg Cox, the longtime restaurant critic for the N&O, also covers restaurant news. Tune in to hear his radio show at 11 a.m. Saturdays on WPTF. He can be reached at ggcox@bellsouth.net.